Poor Perlmutter! He's behaving in an instinctive and not genuinely violent way. It's actually pretty friendly, and Frazier had to know he was wielding that finger annoyingly. But Perlmutter touched! Do not touch! And Frazier does such a perfect "Don’t hit me man. Come on."

To help you organize your reaction to the incident: Perlmutter's the Democrat, Frazier is the Republican.

I thought they both handled it well. Pelmutter shouldn't have touched him. If Frazier made a big huge deal about it, that would be wrong, too, given Perlmutter's immediate apology. But Frazier didn't push the issue after Perlmutter apologized, so no big deal on either side. It was a vibrant, heated debate.

Now, what would the national reaction be if a white Republican had slapped the hand of a black Democrat for "wielding that finger annoyingly"?

I didn't think either one was out of line. The pointer didn't really have his finger in his face, just sort of in his personal space. It seemed like the congressman was doing the same thing a few seconds before. But calling the congressman's actions a slap seems like a pretty silly exaggeration- it was barely a bat away.

Woe to feed the troll, but there's more to that story than the man just asking about a record, if I read the article correctly.

In any case, I'm very weary of private security details, of any stripe, "arresting" people for any reason. Apparently the cops didn't have too great a problem with it because they told them to let the guy go and that was that...so far. If a private security firm "arrests" someone improperly, I'm sure the lawsuits will fly. Given that, though, one would think that goons in a private security firm would have standing policies about such occurrences.

"Gee, no coverage by Ann Althouse of Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller having a security detail who put a journalist in handcuffs for asking Miller about his record!"

Two issues here. One, private security firms cannot arrest people. They can detain them - much like store security detains shoplifters - but arrest they cannot (assuming Alaska doesn't have some weird law that gives them arrest powers). Secondly, my understanding was that he pushed someone and that was why he was detained, not for asking questions.

Another example of Tea Party violence...no that's is backwards. What if they did allow boxing and wrestling in debates. That Could help in the need for money raising...the TV guys would then start paying them to come on and win a champion's Belt.

The shocking reaction to a black man up against a white man is muted here because of the Party labels. But that remains one of the big reasons why conservative white women can attack Obama all out, while conservative white men are afraid to be seen doing it. I know what...let's nominate Palin against Obama in 2012.

Two issues here. One, private security firms cannot arrest people. They can detain them - much like store security detains shoplifters - but arrest they cannot (assuming Alaska doesn't have some weird law that gives them arrest powers). Secondly, my understanding was that he pushed someone and that was why he was detained, not for asking questions.

We're agreed they cannot arrest anyone, including and especially a journalist. Joe Miller, though, seems to think he has that power.

Your second point is the excuse being used, which seems awfully weak in any event. Because they were interfering with a journalist and threatening him and getting in his face, he says, he finally responded in kind. I wouldn't defend a security force for a candidate throwing a reporter in handcuffs this under any circumstances.

It is a sad day in America, though, when one political party - the Republicans and their supporters - defend throwing a reporter in handcuffs for asking difficult questions of candidates for public office.

We expect that behavior in Red China. Not here under any circumstances. Clearly, Republicans no longer believe in American freedoms, like freedom of the press.

This is where the Democratic blowout due to ObamaCare votes comes home to me. I vaguely know Ed (Permutter) from swim team back in the 1960s. I was a bit older, and he was the younger kid whom we allowed to hang around with us. And, my parents know his from the country club that they belonged to back then.

Ed was fairly moderate when he was in the CO legislature, and ran for Congress as a moderate. After all, his family has a very successful small business in the area west of Denver. And, my mother knew him from when she worked as a lobbyist at the legislature. Plus, my father, a life long Republican, voted for him the last two elections.

But, he followed orders, and voted for ObamaCare and the "Stimulus" bill. And, last I know, was running behind, despite having won decisively the last time around.

Let me note that when I grew up in that area, likely in that District as it now sits, it was fairly strongly Republican. But, it has moved fairly strongly towards the Democrats as Hispanics, in particular, have moved out of Denver into the nearer suburbs.

hey meade....why don't you tell us what parts of obamacare you don't like instead of doing the generalities horeshit.

you don't like the pre-existing condition part? or what? what part/parts bother you - and is your health care off ann's university state employee or are you paying for that out of your own pocket at full rate? just curious meade...

why don't you tell us what parts of obamacare you don't like instead of doing the generalities horeshit

1) The federal government imposing an individual mandate on something I'm already taking care of myself. 2) Increased costs for HSA participants.3) Wholly inaccurate promises/statements made by politicians selling the bill which are contradicted by the legislation itself.4) The process of arm-twisting/backroom dealing to get it passed in direct contradiction to the President's campaign promises.

Hey HDHouse ....why don't you tell us what parts of ObamaCare you think Democrats should be campaigning on? Is there a Democrat anywhere campaigning on the success of passing their historic bill? Just curious, HDHouse.